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THIBODAUX, La. – Last season the Nicholls State University baseball team captured a 6-3 victory over then No. 4 LSU, at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge. On Wednesday night at 6 p.m. the two programs meet again, as the No. 5 Tigers look to avenge last year's loss and the Colonels fight to defend Ray E. Didier Field in front of a sold out crowd.
The game will be Academic Night for Nicholls, as the athletic department honors its outstanding student-athletes for their achievements in the classroom. All Colonels maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher will be recognized on the field prior to the opening pitch.
Wednesday's game can be viewed on Cox Sports Television. Outside of CST's territory, the selected game will be available via ESPN3, ESPN's live multi-screen sports network. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN and ESPN apps, as well as streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Nicholls (4-5) opened its season with a dominant four-game sweep of Mississippi Valley State, putting up 52 runs against the Delta Devils in Thibodaux. Since that time the Colonels have lost five straight games on the road, while scoring just nine runs, albeit against much tougher competition.
Nicholls battled travel delays from tornadoes and a broken down charter bus on the way to Tuscaloosa, before suffering a disappointing 13-1 loss at the hands of Alabama on Feb. 24. The Colonels had a quick turnaround, driving directly to Starkville, Miss. for four games against UMass Lowell and No. 17 Mississippi State. Nicholls fell, 11-2, against the River Hawks on Friday, before being blanked by the Bulldogs, 5-0, on Saturday. The Colonels dropped a 9-6 decision against UMass Lowell on Sunday, and took an 8-0 loss in the weekend finale against Mississippi State.
After playing nine games in nine days to open the year, Nicholls welcomed a return to Thibodaux and a two-day respite prior to the team's matchup with LSU (5-2).
The Tigers earned a three-game sweep of Cincinnati to open their season, but were upset, 12-11, by Southland Conference opponent Lamar. Most recently, LSU earned a 2-1 series win over Sacramento State. The Tigers picked up a 6-0 victory in the series opener, before falling, 5-4, in game two. LSU closed out the weekend with a dominant 11-1 win.
The Tigers own a 52-24 edge in the all-time series against the Colonels.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Nicholls: RHP Jake Smith (1-1, 6.23 ERA, 12 SO, 8.2 IP) LSU: RHP Austin Bain (1-1, 6.75 ERA, 3 SO, 4.0 IP) Kyle Reese spearheads the Colonels offense with a .500 batting average, .639 slugging percentage, 18 hits, 17 RBIs, nine runs scored, three doubles and a triple.
Ethan Valdez leads Nicholls in both runs (12) and stolen bases (five), while
Joey Morales has a team-high two triples on the year.
Antoine Duplantis leads the Tigers offense with a .400 average and 10 hits. Jake Fraley paces the squad with nine runs scored, while Beau Jordan has a team-leading eight RBIs. Cole Freeman has six stolen bases on the year to lead LSU.
The Colonels will next host Abilene Christian in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m., before hosting a three-game series against Sacred Heart, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 10.
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball, visit geauxcolonels.com.
